Cassius the saltwater crocodile held the Guinness World Records title as the world’s largest crocodile in captivity.

He was thought to be more than 110 years old.

Cassius, the 5.48m (18ft) reptile, also weighed over a ton.

He had lived in a wildlife sanctuary on Green Island near the Queensland tourist town of Cairns in Australia for more than 37 years, according to the sanctuary’s Facebook post.

The Marineland Melanesia Crocodile Habitat said he had been in declining health since 15 October.

Sharing a post of Cassius enjoying a meal in his prime, they wrote: “He was very old and believed to be living beyond the years of a wild Croc.”

Cassius originated in the neighbouring Northern Territory, where crocodiles are a key part of the region’s tourist industry, the post said.